While the government stalls under pressure to provide necessary aid to the millions affected by COVID-19, a silver lining to this pandemic is being revealed as more and more businesses exemplify efforts to put people before profit.

Influencing consumer behavior at scale — for good ...

Ford Motor Company and 3M have partnered to build much-needed Powered Air-Purifying Respirators, including a new design that employs existing parts from both companies (including the Ford F-150 truck’s cooled seating, and 3M’s HEPA filters) to increase efficiency and scalability. Ford has also designed a new face shield (to be tested this week in Detroit-area hospitals), and will also work with GE on expanding production capacity for GE Healthcare’s ventilator, with a simplified design that should allow for higher-volume production.

Panera, PepsiCo and Visa put their social media weight behind the
“Great American Takeout”
campaign,
asking consumers to order to-go meals this Tuesday (March 24) to support the
ailing restaurant industry — because, as one Door Dash ad for the initiative
pointed out, “even though tables are empty, the kitchens are full.” (Hopefully,
efforts like that will continue!)

Target announced investment of more than $300 million in added
wages;
along with a new paid leave program, bonus payouts and relief fund
contributions for its staffers working hard to keep shelves stocked.

Unilever is providing €100 million worth in free
soap,
sanitizer, bleach and food; and offering €500 million of cash flow relief
to support livelihoods across its extended value chain. In addition, Unilever is
also protecting its workforce from sudden drops in pay for the next three
months.

This is not business as usual — and what that ends up looking like may not be
evident for some time. But where there is fear and uncertainty, there is also
room for opportunity. With no clear vision of when life will get back to
‘normal,’ the pressure is on for businesses to innovate faster and offer new
forms of value to its stakeholders. And the brands that step up to meet the
challenge during this crisis are the ones that will prevail after this is all
over.